She laughed at this gentle teasing. And, as easy as you please, he took the hand that had been on her back and moved it to her face. Caressing her cheek with the back of his hand, he asked, "How about I order us a nice bottle of wine? They have one or two decent wines here. Would that be okay?"
Taylor gave him a shy smile and nodded.
"Good, be right back." Then Greer went to the bar and returned shortly with a bottle of white wine and two glasses. Pouring them each a glass, he asked, "So, tell me all about yourself?"
Trying to appear mysterious and not revealing too much, Taylor replied, "Well, what do you want to know?"
Swallowing a quick sip, Greer replied, "Oh, you know. The normal things. Where are you from? What do you do? Things like that."
Knowing she had to be cagey in answering his questions, Taylor took a page out of Joules's book. She was as honest as possible but didn't always tell the whole truth.
Holding her wine glass up and twirling it around in her hand, she said, "I am staying nearby. I am a teacher."
"Really, what grade?" The interest in his eyes was evident.
"Well, I am not currently teaching, but I hope to be soon. I taught second grade for years. I love it. Children are like little sponges; they soak up so much. I love being a part of that."
A measure of truth could be found in all her responses. She had not told him where she was from, but she was staying nearby for at least one more day. She had been a teacher. She omitted the part about also being a housewife of a US Senator. Turning the tables on him, Taylor asked, "What about you? Are you from here?"
Greer settled back into the corner of the booth and said, "Not originally, but I have been here for several years now. As you know, I am on staff at GSRH but originally from Tennessee. My mom died when I was young. It was just my sister and my dad.
"I am so sorry. I lost my family in my twenties. It nearly destroyed me. I can’t imagine losing a parent as a child. Are you close to your dad or sister?”
"Yeah, my sister, Alex, still thinks she is the boss of Dad and me. She makes sure we all come home for holidays and get-togethers several times a year. That offers me a sense of home that I would not otherwise have."
"It sounds wonderful." Taking another sip of her wine, Taylor thought about that. She wondered if that's what she had been missing, a sense of home and belonging. Now was not the time to explore that thought, so she pushed it out of her mind and said, "Bythe way, this wine is fabulous. I would not have expected them to have anything but boxed wine here."
Laughing, Greer nodded, "I can see why you would think that, but they carry a few decent wines. This one is a Californian wine. It is very crisp and light. I discovered it on my last trip to wine country. Are you a wine enthusiast?" Greer took a sip of his wine and waited for her to answer.
Taylor had been around expensive wines her whole life, but the truth was, she wasn't that big of a drinker and had never paid much attention to wines. At least not until this week. She had drunk more in the last few days than her whole life combined. But she had no intention of telling him that. Instead, she said. "I know what I like if that is what you mean."
Nodding, he said, "Well, that is a good place to start. Have you ever been to the wine country?
Taylor didn't want to outright lie. She had traveled extensively throughout Italy's wine country, but she had never been to Napa. So, she said, "No, I have never seen the wine country of California. Is it as beautiful as everyone says?"
"Yes, almost as beautiful as you." Taylor laughed at that. He might be laying it on thick, but her ego had been crushed. She would take all the compliments he wanted to bathe her in.
"Maybe I will take you to see it one day?"
Smiling, she said, "Maybe." In truth, Taylor thought the chances of that happening were highly unlikely.
For the next few minutes, they sat in silence, enjoying the wine and the music. Studying him as he slouched against the wall of the back booth, bobbing his head in time to the music, she realized that he was the embodiment of what Joules called "Sex on a Stick." Until that moment, she had never really understood what that meant. Now she did. He made her mouth water just looking at him.
They each finished their first glass of wine, and Greer refilled them and then asked, "So, have you ever been married? Or do you have any kids?"
Taylor had just taken a large sip of wine, and the question caught her completely off guard. She was so shocked that she literally spat the entire sip out of her mouth in a giant spray all over the table. Wine went everywhere. To say she was mortified would have been an understatement.
Grabbing napkins and wiping as fast as she could, Taylor tried to think of the best way to answer. After a second, she said, "Yes, once. It didn't go so well." She didn't elaborate, and thank goodness, Greer didn't ask her to. After a second, she added, "As for children, I always wanted them, but I couldn't have any."
Greer nodded and said, "Same goes for me. Divorce sucks. I would have loved to have had a couple of rugrats too. But it was not meant to be, so I totally get where you're coming from. My ex-Christine wanted kids from the time we got married, but I kept putting her off. I thought we had all the time in the world. I was more interested in being Chief of Surgery than Daddy. I ate, drank, and slept my work. It was all I lived for, and now it is all I have left. I am not saying this to scare you off or anything. I am just working on being very honest and open. I am learning that life is too short to pretend to be something you are not. I was not the perfect husband, but I am trying to be a better person."
"Wow, that's pretty real. I would never have asked you this if you had not brought it up, but what ultimately happened? Did she get tired of you never coming home and just leave?”
"Something like that. Certainly, there were way too many nights I stayed at the hospital working when I could have been with her but wasn't. Often, when I was home, I was more focused on fishing or hunting with my buddies than being with her. I didn't value her or our marriage, and now I don't have either one. Long story short,she fell in love with someone else. It just so happens that he was my best friend. I couldn't blame her. He was and is a great guy. He was there for her when I wasn't. They are expecting their first baby any day now."
Taylor was quiet for a moment. So, he knew what it was like to be cheated on as well. Now, knowing how painful such an experience was, she was impressed with how calmly he was able to discuss it. She said softly, "That sounds rough. You don't sound the least bit bitter. Why is that?"
“I was for a long time, and then I just let it all go. The truth is I cheated first by not making her or marriage my number one priority. In doing so, I learned a life lesson about love. If you are lucky enough to find someone who loves you, you had better fight with all you have to keep them." Shaking his head for emphasis, he added, "I can promise you this, if I ever get the chance to have a loving wife and children again, I will not screw it up. I can be a doctor anywhere, but the love of a good woman is hard to find. But, enough about all that." Raising his glass, he added, "The past is the past. Let's toast to the future. Here's to new beginnings."
